Shelbyville, Kentucky

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Shelbyville is a city in Shelby County, Kentucky, United States. It was founded on land donated by William Shannon in 1792 and named for Kentucky's first governor, Issac Shelby. The population was 10,085 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Shelby County^GR6, located in nearly the center of the county.

Located near a route from Louisville to Frankfort, Kentucky, Shelbyville grew to a population of 262 by 1800. For much of its early history, most residents were employed directly in support of the surrounding agriculture-based economy. On August 24, 1864 a group of Confederate soldiers attacked the courthouse, attempting to seize a cache of weapons there. They were fought off by locals, killing three of the soldiers in the process. The town later supported Union efforts under Gen. John Palmer to track down Confederate guerrillas in surrounding counties.

Following the Civil War, as surrounding agriculture became more profitable, the town expanded faster than it had at any time since the early days, and many large, more ornate buildings were built downtown, especially after a large fire in 1909. The oldest remaining banks were also organized during this time. The late 19th century also saw a public water system, electricity and libraries brought to the town.

Shelbyville was connected by railroad to Anchorage, Kentucky in 1870, which connected them to Louisville and other cities through what would become the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Interstate 64 was built two miles south in 1960, and helped the area become more industrialized, including three industrial parks on the west side of town. The population increased too, from 4,525 in 1960 to over 10,000 by the year 2000.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Cultural references
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Shelbyville is located at 38°12′44″N, 85°13′33″W (38.212160, -85.225847)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.8 km² (7.6 mi²). 19.6 km² (7.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.92%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 10,085 people, 3,822 households, and 2,549 families residing in the city. The population density was 515.1/km² (1,333.5/mi²). There were 4,117 housing units at an average density of 210.3/km² (544.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.97% White, 16.35% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.33% Pacific Islander, 4.99% from other races, and 2.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.51% of the population.

There were 3,822 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,607, and the median income for a family was $44,481. Males had a median income of $30,913 versus $24,710 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,461. About 12.5% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Cultural references

Shelbyville holds an annual horse show, which is visited by many famous people including William Shatner.
Shelbyville is known as the Saddlebred Capital of the World.